Clearwater Scientologists Look Back at 2013 As they step forward into 2014

The opening of their new spiritual headquarters, over 10,000 Scientologists in downtown Clearwater, over 100,000 volunteer hours by Clearwater Scientologists - represent just a few of the 2013 highlights for the Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization. End Quote

A being is only as valuable as he can serve others

(1888PressRelease) December 30, 2013 - On Friday the 27th of December, over 5,000 Scientologists from all over the world celebrated an early New Year's Eve under the lights of the beautifully decorated 150,000 square foot marquee in downtown Clearwater. The event was recorded and will be broadcast to Churches of Scientology all over the world on the 31st of December, in celebration of the Church's 2013 accomplishments. The highlight for the Church shone on the November 17th opening of Scientology's new spiritual headquarters - the 377,000 square foot architectural masterpiece, The Flag Building, located in Clearwater and a crowning achievement that signals a year of the Church's most expansive growth yet.

And while, for Scientologists, nothing can surpass that achievement, right here in Clearwater, Scientologists looked back on the over 100,000 hours they spent volunteering in activities that focused on drug and human rights education, raising funds for non-profit organizations, volunteer minister work and other activities aimed at improving their neighborhoods. Some of these activities included the following:

• The Church opened up the Fort Harrison for over 2,000 residents who attended numerous community events in the historic building which raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Hispanic Outreach Center, Men of Vision, the Clearwater MLK Coalition, the Beth Dillinger Foundation, Clearwater Community Volunteers, the Lillette Jenkins-Wisner Foundation and PACE Center for Girls.

• The Clearwater Community Volunteers, (CCV) a group founded by the Church of Scientology and run by Scientology parishioners, spent some 3,000 volunteer hours on 2 of their signature events, the Ginormous Easter Egg Hunt in Coachman Park for over 5,000 children and their parents and the beautiful 3-week Winter Wonderland which brought joy to thousands more. CCV collected 3 truck-loads of food and toys for the Public Defender's Nourish to Flourish program, helping to feed the 7,000 chronically hungry children of the county.

• On Saturday the 21st of December 2013, 2,500 athletes ran in Clearwater's 25th Annual Say No to Drugs Holiday Race from downtown Clearwater across the Memorial Bridge to Clearwater's Beach. Started by Scientologist Sandra Johnson, this popular race boasts one of the biggest purses in the region while promoting a drug-free message. 33 year-old John Robida from Tampa and 29 year-old Kristen Tengalia from Seminole won the 5K race. 25 year old Nick Miehe from Tarpon Springs and 24 year old Jacki Wachtel from New Port Richey won the 10K. 14 elite runners, not just from the Tampa Bay region, but from all over the US also participated. Afterwards, runners enjoyed a pancake breakfast at Coachman Park, another popular feature of this race. Each runner received a goodie bag with vouchers, samples and a booklet called the Truth About Drugs, a booklet produced by the Foundation for a Drug-Free World to strip away the lies of our drug culture and replace them with factual information. Hundreds of runners also signed a pledge to be drug free.

Church spokesperson, Pat Harney, said, "2013 has been an exciting year and prolific year for us and we are excited about all that Scientology will bring to the world in 2014."

Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization
This Church is the international religious retreat for the Scientology religion which was founded by author and humanitarian, L. Ron Hubbard. The first Church of Scientology was formed in the U.S. in 1954. Today, there are more than 11,000 churches, missions and affiliated groups in 193 countries. The Church routinely engages in humanitarian programs inspired by L. Ron Hubbard who once said: "A being is only as valuable as he can serve others."

http://www.clearwatercommunityvolunteers.org

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